Pilgrimage, Book 2 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
The Iewish Passeouer, as they now obserue it, and other their Feasts and Fasts.
OF the Iewish Feasts, as they were celebrated before the comming of CHRIST, wee hauehave already spoken. In these dayes they blindely and stubbornely persist in like Obseruation of times, though with some variation of ceremonie. Their Talmud reckoneth foure New-yeeres dayes, besides the former in March and September, whereof we hauehave spoken; the first of August beginneth their yeere of breeding cattell, accompting from thence their time of tything. In Ianuarie, the first, or as R. Hillel would hauehave it, the fifteenth beganne their new yeere for trees, in reckoning the time of lawfulnesse to eate, or tythe their fruit.
The aTheir order of celebrating the Passeouer at this day.richer Iewes prepare thirtie dayes before for their Passe-ouer, (dentem, non mentem) good wheate for their vnleauened cakes. The Sabbath before the Passeuer is solemne and sacred, wherein they hauehave a Sermon concerning the Paschall Lambe. Two or three dayes before the Passeouer, they scowre their houshold implements, of wood and mettall, with much curiositie and varietie of rites. For hee that in this Feast vseth an impure vessell, is as hee that hath laine by an vncleane woman. The night before the Feast, the goodman of the house with a waxe candle, a dish and wing, beginneth his search for leauened bread; and with other men or boyes to help him, after their Amen to his blessing, with waxe candles in their hands, they leaue not a mouse-hole vnsearched, and hide that bread which they meane to eate that night, left they should finde that, and be forced to burne it. That which they finde, they curiously couer, left some mouse, by carrying it, should make them hauenew worke: and for this cause suppe also in a corner, with great care that nothing fall to the ground. When he hath ended his search, Whatsoeuer leauen (saith he) is vnderunder mine hands, which I hauehave not seene, let it be tossed to and fro, like the dust of the earth. In the morning they make their vnleauened cakes, of meale growned three dayes at least. The kneading trough must be lined with linnen, lest some of the leauened meale should cleaue thereto. The goodman himselfe must drawe the liquor that it is kneaded with, and that at Sun setting. The cakes are made with as much scruple, round, and pricked full of holes in a cold place &c. to keep them from leaueuing. They eate little, and the first-borne nothing, till night, that then they may hauehave the better Paschall-stomacke: at the Euensong they obserue much-what the same ceremonies, as at the Sabbath. They make at home the fairest shew of their plate and riches, and seate themselues on Chaires (as it were) of State, and account now of themselues as great Lords, triumphing ouer their late Aegyptian seruitude; at their returne from the Synagogue, they hauehave a dish with three cakes set before them, representing the high Priest, the Tribe of Leui, and the people of Israel: an other dish hath in it a loine of lambe or kidde, with a hard egge: an other containeth a gallimawfrey of apples, nuts, figges, almonds, &c. dressed with wine in bricke-fashion (with cinnamon strewd on it, in remembrance of the Aegyptian fornace. They hauehave also a sallet of herbs, and a sawcer of vineger set on the Table. Then sit they downe, and eueryevery one (to the child in the cradle) hath his cup filled with wine. And here with a carowse after a blessing begins the feast, with a scrupulous vse of these things mentioned: then followeth. The supper it selfe, with much riot till midnight, with such cheere as they hauehave, with diuers ceremonies, cursing their enemies, calling for Elias, praying for the reedifying of the Temple; vsing many, Diuine Attributes, as Mercifull God, great God, bountifull God, high God, faire God, sweet God, mightie God, and God of thIewes now build thy Temple shortly, very soone, very soone, in our dayes, very soone, very soone. Now build, now build, now build, now build, now build thy Temple quickely; Strong God, lining God, &c. ouer and ouer with such battologies. This night they thinke themselues secure against men and Deuills; they leaue their doores open all night to entertaine Elias; and one to their solace playeth Elias in a white linnen garment. Each man drinketh foure Cuppes full of the blessed wine, in regard of foure deliuerances, which the Rabbins find in Exodus, 6. V. 6, 7. The ceremonies of Moses they are not tied to (forsooth) because they are not in Canaan.
In the morning they visite the Synagogue with their Sabbath-rites. They bring two Bookes out of the Arke, and call forth fiue men (and if this feast be on the Sabbath, seuen) to reade out of the same. Nice are their determinations what workes they may doe on this day, and what not: they may dresse no more meate then is this day eaten. If they beate spice, the morter must lie side-wise, for distinctions sake of the day, &c. fasting and weeping must be auoided; if any farse a henne, the needle must be threeded the day before, and the threed must be burned, not bitten, or broken asunder. In such trifles, the Schoole of Schammai licenceth to eate the same day an egge laid on a festiuall day. Hillel denies it, and betwixt them they hauehave set the Rabbines by the cares, in this & such profane questions. Their Euensong hath a short dispatch: and then the next day they bAbundans cau…ela non n… cet.reiterate the same ceremonies, and that for certainty, because they doubt of the first day of the monethmonth, and therefore obserue two. The foure dayes following are halfe-holy-dayes. Some works may be done in them, and not some, and what they doe (to make a difference) must be done otherwise, as writing crooked &c. and that which cannot without losse be deferred, may now be done. The seuenth day they obserue in more complcate holinesse, and the eight too, for the reason before alleadged, to be more secure of the true day. After the feast ended, they satisfie with fasting their feasting-riots, and that on two mundaies and one thursday: vntounto the three and thirtieth day after, they are sadde and heauie, in remembrance of R. Akhiba, of whose disciples foure and twentie thousand died in that space, and were buried by women in the night: and therefore after Sunne set, all this while the women lay aside their worke: on the three and thirtie day the men bathe them and shaue their beards, and are merry, because then his disciples ceased dying.
From the second night of their Pesach they number to their Pentecost cPentecost.fifty daies inclusiuely: and say, Blessed be thou, &c. which hast commaunded vsus to number the daies before haruest, of which this is the first or second, &c. they number the same standing, praying withall for the restitution of Ierusalem. They let not bloud on the euen of the Pentecost, because of a supposed winde Tabbach, which should hauehave slaine all the Israelites, if they had refused next day to accept of the Lawes. They keep it two daies, for the former doubt. They take the Booke twice out of the Arke, and reade thereout the precepts concerning this Feasts sacrifices, now that they cannot performe the things. In remembrance of receiuing the Law, they strew the pauement of their houses, streets, and Synagogues with grasse. They eate meates made of milke & cakes. One cake they make seuen times folded in thicknes, in remembrance of the seuen heauens, by which GOD descended to Mount Sinai. Now they must hauehave good cheere, because at this time the King married his daughter, that is, the Law vntounto them.
The dTabernacles.Feast of Tabernacles is obserued eight daies: the two first, and two eThe last day they may kindle fire from another, not strike fire with stone or mettall, nor quēch it, although to saue their goodes: nor blow it with bellowes, but with a reede they may: with many trifling obseruatiōs els mentioned by Munst. Praecept. Mos. cum expos. Rab.last more solemnely: the middle foure are halfe holie. They mutter ouer their praiers with such haste, that he is the perfectest who speaketh most with a breath. They make them Tabernacles with boughs of 4 kindes of trees (more scrupulous then the Law) in which they suppe, but doe not lodge. The Precentor in the Synagogue taketh a bundle of boughs, & blesseth and shaketh them; for it is written, fPsal.96.12.The trees shall clap their hands, and moueth them 3 times to the East, and as often to the West, and to the N. and S and then vp and downe like a Fencer, & then shaketh them againe, as hauing now put the deuill to flight. Then one taketh out the Booke, and laieth it on the Pulpit, which they all with their boughs compasse seuen times a day, during the Feast; in hope of like destruction to the Christians as befell Iericho, and then renew their shaking of their boughs. The seuenth day is most solemne: then they produce seuen Books, and in eueryevery of their seuen compassings lay vp one again. This night they know their fortunes by the Moone: for stretching out their armes, if they see not the shadow of their head by Moone-light, they must die that yeare; If a finger wanteth, hee looseth a friend; if the shadow yeeld him not a hand, he looseth a son; the want of the left hand portendeth losse of a daughter; If no shadow, no life shall abide with him, for it is written: gNum.14.9.Their shadow departed from them. Some Iewes goe yerely into Spaine, to prouide pome-citrons and other necessaries, for the furnishing this feast: which they sell in Germany, and other places to the Iewes at excessiue prices. They keepe their Tabernacles in all weathers, except a very vehement storme driue them with a heauie countenance into their houses. Their wiues and seruants are not so strictly tied hereto.
The hNew Moonday.new Moons are at this day but halfe festiuall to the Iewes, accounting themselues free to worke, or not, in them; but the women keepe it intirely festiuall, because they denied their Eare-rings to the molten Calfe, which after they bestowed willingly on their Tabernacle. The deuouter Iewes fast the day before. Their Mattins is with more prayers, their dinner with more checre then on other dayes: and a great part of the day after they sit at Cardes, or telling of Tales. That day when the Moone is eclipsed, they fast. When they may first see the new Moone, they assemble, and the chiefe Rabbi pronounceth a long prayer, the rest saying after him.
The Iewes beleeuing that GOD created the world, in September or Tisri, conceit also, that at the reuolution of the same time yearely, hee sitteth in iudgement, and out of the books taketh reckoning of euerie mans life, and pronounceth sentence accordingly. That iNew-yeares day.day which their great Sanhedrin ordained the New-yeeres festiuall, GOD receiuing thereof intelligence by his Angels, sent thither to know the same, causeth the same day a Senate of Angells to be assembled, as it is written, Daniel 12. All things prouided in the solemnest manner, the three Bookes are opened; one, of the most wicked, who are presently registred into the Booke of Death: the second, of the iust, who are inrolled into the Booke of Life: and the third, of the meane sort, whose iudgement is demurred vntill the day of Reconciliation, (the tenth of Tisri,) that if in the meane time they seriously repent them so, that their good may exceed their euill, then are they entred into the Booke of life; if otherwise, they are recorded in the Blacke Bill of Death. Their Scripture is produced by R. Aben. kPsalme 69.28Let them be blotted out of the Booke of the Liuing, and not be written with the iust. Blotting points you to the Booke of Death: Liuing, that of Life; and not writing with the iust, is the third Booke of Indifferents. All the workes which a man hath done through the yeare, are this day examined: The good workes are put in one balance, the bad in the other (what helpe a siluer Chalice or such heauy mettall could afford in this case, you may finde by experience in Saint Francis Legend, who, when the badde deedes of a great man, lately dead, out-weighed the good, at a dead lift caft in a siluer Chalice, which the dead partie had sometime bestowed on Franciscan deuotion, and weighed vp the other side, and so the Deuills lost their prey:) GOD (say they) pronounceth sentence of punishment or reward, sometime in this life to be executed, sometime in the other. In respect hereof, their Rabbines ordaine the monethmonth before to be spent in penance, and morning and euening to sound a Trumpet of a Rammes horne, as an Aue Mary-Bell, to warne them of this Iudgement, that they may thinke of their sinnes; and besides to befoole the Deuill, that with this often sounding being perplexed, hee may not know when this New-yeares day shall be, to come into the Court to giuegive euidence against them. The day before they rise sooner in the morning, to mutter ouer their prayers for remission: and when they hauehave done in the Synagogue, they goe to the graues in the Church-yard, testifying, that if GOD doe not pardon them, they are like to the dead, and praying, that for the good workes of the Saints (the iust Iewes there buried) hee will pittie them, and there they giuegive large almes. Afternoone, they shaue, adorne, and bathe themselues, that they may be pure the next day; (for some Angells, soiled with impuritie heere below, are faine to purge themselues in the fiery brooke Dinor, before they can praise GOD; how much more they?) and in the Water they make Confession of their sinnes; the Confession containeth two and twentie wordes, the number of their Alphabet; and at the pronouncing of euerie word, giuegive a knocke on their breast; and then diue wholly vnderunder water. The Feast it selfe they beginne with a Cuppe of Wine, and New-yeere Salutations: and on their Table hauehave a Rammes head, in remembrance of lGen.22.18.That Ramme which was offered in Isaacs stead: and for this cause are their Trumpets of Rammes horne: Fish they eate, to signifie the multiplication of their good workes: they eate sweete fruits of all sorts, and make themselues merrie, as assured of forgiuenesse of their sinnes: and after meate, all of all sortes, resort to some bridge, to hurle their sinnes into the water: as it is written, mMich.7.19Hee shall cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the Sea. And if they there espie anie Fish, they leape for ioy, these seruing to them as the Scape-goate, to carrie away their sinnes. At night they renew their cheere, and end this Feast.
From this day to the tenth day nReconciliation., is a time of Penance or Lent, wherein they fast and pray for the cause aforesaid; and that if they hauehave beene written in the Booke of Death, yet GOD seeing their good workes, may repent, and write them in the Life-Booke. oHospinian ex Lombard….Thrice a day verie early they confesse three houres before day, and surcease suites at Lawe, &c. And on the ninth day verie earely they resort to the Synagogue; and at their returne, euerie male taketh a Cocke, and euerie female a Henne; if shee bee with childe, both: and the Housholder, saying out of the hundred and fift Psalme, verses 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. and out of Iob chapter 23. vers. 23, 24, 25. swingeth the Cocke three times about his head, euerie time saying, This Cocke shall make an exchange for mee: hee shall die for mee: and I shall goe into life with all the people of Israel, Amen. Hee doth it three times, for himselfe, for his children, for the strangers that are with him. Then hee killeth him, and cutteth his throat, and hurleth him with all his force to the ground, and roasteth him: signifying that he himselfe deserueth death, the sword, stoning, and fire: the inwards they hurle on the toppe of the house, that the Crowes may, with it, carrie away their sinnes. A white Cocke for this purpose is principall; a redde Cocke they vse not, for they are full of sinne themselues by Esaias authoritie, pEsa.1.18.If your sinnes were redde as scarlet &c. qAnt. Margar.Antonius Margarita saith, That this propitiatorie creature should be an Ape, as most like to a man; but they vse a Cocke for the names sake: a man in Hebrew is Gehber, which is the Talmudicall or Babylonish name of a Cocke. Thus those that with a Rammes horne beguiled the Deuill, and with a Cocke beguiled GOD, iustly beguiled themselues, who refuse that Sacrifice of CHRIST, in whose stripes they might bee healed.
After the performance of this Cocke-sacrifice, they goe to the buriall-place, vsing like ceremonies there, as on New-yeeres euen: and after noone, bathe them likewise. After Euensong, hee which hath offended others, askes them forgiuenesse, which if hee obtaine not at first, then the offender taketh with him three other, and asketh the second and third time: if all this bee in vaine, hee taketh tenne others and reneweth his suite; if hee obtaine, it is well; if not, GOD will holde him excused, and the other partie shall bee guiltie; if the partie offended bee dead, the offender, with tenne other goeth to the graue, and there confesseth his faults. They confesse one to an other also, and that in a secret place of their Synagogue, where each receiueth mutually at his fellowes hand with a leather belt nine and thirtie blowes: at each blow the partie beaten beateth himselfe on the breast, and saith one word of his Confession, taken out of the seuentie and eight Psalm and eight and thirtith rYet he being mercifull &c.verse, being in the Hebrew fifteene words, which hee thrice repeateth: then the striker lieth downe and receiueth like penance at the hands of the former, you may iudge with what rigour. This done, they runne home, and make merrie with the Cockes and Hennes before mentioned, supping largely, because of the next dayes fast. Their supper must bee ended before Sunne set: for then beginneth their fast. They put on their cleanest rayment, and ouer the same, a great and large shirt downe to the shooes, to testifie their puritie. They resort to their Synagogues with waxe candles (in Germanie they hauehave for euerie man one) and then light them. The women also light Candles at home, as on the Sabbath. It is ominous, if the Candles burne not cleerely. They spread the floore with Carpets, for soyling their purest clothes.
Their humiliations at this Feast are fiue: first, foure and twentie, or seuen and twentie houres fast, whereunto children are subiect: the males after twelue yeares, the females after eleuen. Their fiue humiliations at the Feast of Reconciliatiō.Secondly, they weare no shooes. Thirdly, they must not annoint them. Fourthly, nor bathe them, no not put a finger into the water. Fistly, nor company with, no not touch their wiues. Before they beginne praiers, thirteene of the principall Rabbies, walking in the Temple, giuegive licence to all, both good and bad, to pray. And the Praecentor or Reader fetcheth the Booke out of the Arke, and openeth it, singing a long prayer, beginning all compacts, vowes, and oathes, &c. insinuating, that all the vowes, promises, oathes, and couenants which euerie Iew had that yeare broken, be disanulled and pardoned: and that, because now all hauehave power to pray and praise GOD. They continue singing till late in the night. Some remaine all night in the Synagogue: yea the deuouter some stand vpright singing and praying without intermission all that feast, the space of seuen and twentie houres in the same place. Those that departed the Synagogue, returne in the morning before day, and there stay all that day. Often they prostrate themselues with their face couered, at eueryevery word of their Confessions knocking their breast. When it beginneth to be night, the Priest draweth his Talles (a large cloth made of haires) before his eies, and pronounceth the blessing, Numb. 6. holding his hand towards the people, who meane-while couer their faces with their hands: for they may not looke on the Priests hand, because the Spirite of God resteth thereon. Then hee singeth a prayer seuen times together, sometimes higher, sometimes lower with his voyce: because that God now ascendeth from: them into the seuenth Heauen: and they with their sweete melodie bring him on the way. Then they make a long and shrill sound with their Rammes-horne-trumpet: and there followeth presently a voyce from Heauen, Goecate thy bread with ioy and gladnesse &c. After this they returne home, some carrying home their Lights, to distinguish the holie Times (as you hauehave heard) from the prophane: some leaue them in the Synagogue all the yeere, at certayne times lighting them. Some Saint-Iewes prouide to hauehave a waxe-light continually burning all the yeere long in the Synagogue. In their returne they wish to each other a good yeere. For the Bookes, before mentioned, are now closed; nor may they expect any alteration. They suppe largely, and betimes the next morning returne to the Synagogue, lest Sathan should complaine at so soone a cooling of their zeale. But the Deuill may be quiet; for when the Lawe was giuen, sPirke.ca.46.Sammael the euill spirite complained, that hee had power ouer all people, but the Israelites: God answered, That hee should hauehave power ouer them, if on the Reconciliation-day hee found anie sinne in them: But hee finding them pure, said, That this his people were like the Angells, liuing in vnitie, without eating or drinking. The Iewes hauehave a ceremonie to giuegive the Deuill gifts on this day, either not to hinder them: or else, because tExod.23.8Gifts blinde the wise.
The Iewes diuide the Law into two and fiftie parts, and reading euerie Sabbath one, the last falleth on the next day after the Feast of Tabernacles, about the three and twentieth day of September. In this uThe Feast of the Lawe finished,day they leape, daunce, and make much ioy. They assemble in their Synagogue, and take all the Bookes of the Lawe out of the Arke (leauing in it meane-while, that it be not left emptie, a burning light) they reade the first Lecture and the last thereof, and leape about the Arke with the Bookes; and they hurle peares, nuttes, and such fruits among the youth, which in their scrambling sometimes fall together by the eares, and marre the sport. On this day they sell their Synagogue-offices, the Clarke making proclamation: who will giuegive most at the third time, obtaineth first the office of lighting the Lights all the yeare, then that of prouiding the Wine, which they vse to beginne the Feasts with, in respect of the poore, which hauehave no wine to hallow at home. Thirdly, Is set to sale the office Geldab, of foulding vp, & vnfolding the Law. Fourthly, Hagbohah, of lifting vp the Law, and carrying it in Procession. Fifthly, The office Etz-chaim, of touching those turned peeces of wood, whereto the Law is fastened: which the young men are forward to buy, in hope of holinesse and longer life. Sixthly, Acheron; to be called forth last on the festiuall dayes, to reade somewhat of the Law. Seuenthly, Schetria, to be deputed or substituted inplace of the negligent officer, &c. The money, hence arising, is for the vse of the poore, and reparations of their Synagogue: but in these sale-offices, wealth hath more honor then worthinesle.
Their Feast of Dedication, we cannot say much more of, then that which alreadie hath beene said: much nicenesse herein is obserued, about the lights where with they solemnize this darknesse, which I willingly omit: these lights they vse in their houses all the space of these eight daies burning.
Their xHospinianus cx M. Lombard.Feast of Lots they keepe with all riot two dayes, as with some at Shrouetide: the men disguising themselues in womens habite; the women in mens: they quaffe and drinke (it is saith Rabbi Isaac, Tirna, a good worke) till they find no difference betweene Arur Haman and Baruch Mordecai: curjed be Haman, Blessed bee Mordecai; vociferations that day obserued.
They yHospin.obserue festiuall the Equinoctials and Solstices; and a certaine Rogation day: they vse the Fasts before mentioned out of Zach. 7. with other superstitions. Some of them zSyn. Iud. Ruxdorf.Fast also, as is said, on Mondayes and Thursdayes; and some on the tenth of March for the death of Miriam: at whose departure, a certaine fountaine dried vp, and the people were left without water: but in this month the most Rabbins will not allow fasting, because of their deliuerance therein out of Egypt. Some fast for the death of Samuel, Aprill 28. and for the taking of the Arke, Aprill 10. and at other times for other Prophets. Some fast on the new-moones euen: some, when they hauehave had an infortunate dreame; and all that day in which their father died, through their whole life. Their fasting is an abstinence from all eating and drinking till night. But of these Fasts and other their solemnities, is said before in the abstract of their Kalender, taken out of Ioseph Scaliger.